Chapter 13: The Last Mercer Secret
Thomas's face disappeared from the screen.
For two seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Lily screamed.
“Mommy!””
I grabbed the edge of the desk.
“Thomas! Where is my daughter?””
The screen flickered.
“She's safe.””
“You have five seconds to prove it.””
Daniel stepped beside me.
“Put her back on camera.””
Thomas hesitated.
Then Lily appeared again.
She was sitting on the floor, clutching Mr. Bunny.
“Mommy?””
“I see you.””
“I'm okay.””
“Stay where you are, sweetheart.””
She nodded.
Daniel stared at the screen.
“Thomas, what do you want?””
“To finish what Michael started.””
“Michael is dead.””
“I know.””
“You said you raised Claire's mother.””
Thomas looked at me.
“Your mother wasn't Claire's mother.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Daniel turned toward Eleanor.
“What is he talking about?””
Eleanor's face had gone white.
Thomas continued.
“Your mother was never Susan Harper.””
I felt as though the floor had vanished beneath me.
“My mother died when I was nine.””
“Yes.””
“She was Susan.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You're lying.””
Thomas sighed.
“I wish I were.””
Daniel moved toward the camera.
“Tell us the truth.””
“The truth is why Lily is in danger.””
“Then start talking.””
Thomas looked at me.
“Your biological mother was Anna Mercer.””
The room went silent.
I couldn't breathe.
Anna.
The girl from the photograph.
The child everyone said disappeared.
My supposed aunt.
My biological mother.
“No,” I whispered.
Thomas nodded.
“She escaped the Foundation when she was nineteen.””
Eleanor covered her face.
“I thought she was dead.””
“She wanted you to think that.””
“Why?””
“To keep you alive.””
I stared at the screen.
“How could she have been my mother? She was eight when I was born.””
Thomas's expression changed.
“She wasn't eight when you were born.””
Daniel frowned.
“The records say—”
“The records were fake.””
He explained that Anna had been born years earlier than the family believed. Her age, medical history, and disappearance had all been manipulated.
She escaped at nineteen.
She had me shortly afterward.
And when the Foundation found out, they took me.
Thomas's voice softened.
“Anna gave you to people she trusted.””
“Robert and Susan.””
“Yes.””
“They raised me.””
“They loved you.””
Tears filled my eyes.
“Then why did nobody tell me?””
“Because your mother made them promise.””
“What happened to Anna?””
Thomas looked away.
“She died protecting you.””
I closed my eyes.
A strange memory surfaced.
A woman singing softly.
A hand smoothing my hair.
A whispered promise.
*One day, you'll know why I left.*
I opened my eyes.
“I remember her.””
Daniel took my hand.
“What do you remember?””
“My mother.””
Thomas nodded.
“That is why they erased your memory.””
I stared at him.
“Why did they want Lily?””
“Because Lily carries the final piece of evidence.””
“The DNA?””
“No.””
He looked toward the ledger.
“Michael discovered that the Foundation had been creating false heirs for wealthy families. Children were given altered identities, then placed into estates through carefully arranged marriages and inheritance schemes.””
Daniel's face hardened.
“My father did that?””
“He helped build it.””
“And Lily?””
“Lily was born from the last surviving genetic sample connected to Michael.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Then why did you marry me?”” I asked.
His face crumpled.
“I didn't know.””
Thomas spoke.
“Your father arranged the marriage.””
Daniel shook his head.
“I loved her.””
“I know.””
“Then why?””
“Because your father believed love would make you easier to control.””
Daniel looked at me.
“I would have chosen you anyway.””
I believed him.
That was the cruelest part.
A noise came from the screen.
Lily turned her head.
“Mommy?””
“What is it?””
“There is a door.””
Thomas appeared beside her.
“Claire, listen carefully.””
“What?””
“You have the ledger.””
“Yes.””
“You need to destroy it.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
Thomas looked at him.
“If you don't, the Foundation will never stop.””
“But if we destroy it, we lose the evidence.””
Thomas smiled.
“You're thinking like your father.””
He pointed toward the screen.
“Look beneath the desk.””
Daniel frowned.
I looked.
There was a small metal compartment under the desk.
Daniel opened it.
Inside was a tiny recording device.
A red light blinked.
Thomas said:
“Your father recorded everything.””
Daniel picked it up.
“Why give this to us?””
“Because Michael wanted you to have it.””
Daniel stared.
“Michael is dead.””
“Yes.””
Thomas's voice became quieter.
“But he knew one day his brother would need to know the truth.””
The recording device clicked.
A man's voice filled the room.
Daniel's father.
“If Daniel is hearing this, then Claire has finally found the ledger.””
Daniel froze.
His father's voice continued.
“I know what I've done.””
A pause.
“I know what I did to Michael.””
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
“I also know the child will be born.””
I looked at the screen.
Lily was listening too.
His voice continued.
“She will be the last true Mercer heir.””
Then another voice interrupted the recording.
A woman.
Celia.
Daniel looked horrified.
His father said:
“Celia, if you are listening, remember our agreement.””
The recording ended.
Celia whispered:
“I never agreed to kill her.””
Thomas's voice came through.
“But you agreed to deliver her.””
The lights suddenly went out.
And somewhere inside the building, a door slammed.
May you like
Thomas said one final sentence.
“They've arrived.””
